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Page 5-14 Summary February 2000 <br />• likelihood for hearing damage occurrence. A secondary impact assessment associated with noise i=_ <br />the nuisance effects of noise that include interference with speech, psychologically unsettling <br />environment at home and work, and more specific problems such as sleep disruption. The extent of <br />these effects varies, sometime significantly between individuals and as a factor of the noise source. <br />Exploration drilling in the Iron Point Exploration License would generate some noise; however, this <br />noise would not create any nuisances to the nearest homes in the North Fork Valley or to the towns of <br />Paonia or Somerset. Noise impacts would also be of limited duration. <br />The noise emissions as a result of the operation of the surface facilities for the underground mines are <br />not expected to be a general nuisance to nearby towns and residents. The major noise nuisances <br />associated with these mines would result from truck and railroad transportation of coal. These impacts <br />are expected to occur on a more frequent basis with future coal production increasing from 1998 levels <br />to the presently permitted coal production rates for valley mines. Under certain meteorological <br />conditions with quiet background, it is possible that noise from the surface facilities of the Bowie No. 2 <br />Mine could be audible and perceived as a nuisance at Garvin Mesa, approximately 2 miles west of the <br />surface facilities. <br />Coal truck traffic on State Highway 133 can cause noise impacts to homes within 200 feet of the <br />highway. Within 100 feet of the highway right-of-way, homes would experience a severe impact. Such <br />noise levels would be more predominant at nighttime, when background noise levels are lower. <br />Noise measurements showed that train noise (excluding whistles) varied considerably depending on <br />the speed of the train, the distance from the track, and the presence of buildings between the tracks <br />• and the receiver. Generally, noise from afast-moving train would be much higher than noise from a <br />slow-moving train. <br />Federal train safety laws require trains crossing public roads to sound their whistles at least once within <br />a quarter mile of each public grade crossing. Whistles blown an estimated 100 feet from the public <br />crossing would be expected to exceed noise levels of 100 dBA. <br />Although the noise from passing trains would be audible during quiet nighttime periods, the noise of <br />passing trains (excluding whistles) would not be expected to disrupt sleep or normal speech of <br />individuals living more than two blocks from the railroad tracks under most conditions. <br />S3.13 Land Use <br />Existing Conditions -Land uses within the region are mining, grazing, agriculture, logging, residential <br />development, and dispersed recreation. <br />There is a mixture of federal and private lands within the two coal lease tracts and the exploration <br />license area, as follows: <br />Forest Service - 59% <br />BLM - 26% <br />Private - 15% <br />All coal within the two coal lease tracts and the coal exploration license area is federally controlled. <br />• Environmental Consequences - In the long-term, following mining, the area within and surrounding <br />the coal lease tracts would be used much as it was before any mining. Any surface subsidence <br />caused by underground mining would be minimal and would not affect the pre-mining land use. The <br />